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Halloween Time at the Disneyland® Resort is growing with more frightful fun! This year, you can get into the spooky spirit at Disney California Adventure® Park, with all-new ghoulish delights at Cars Land and on Buena Vista Street.

Cars Land will get all gussied up with four-wheeled frights as the citizens of Radiator Springs don their Halloween costumes and decorate their homes to celebrate Haul-O-Ween. From Fillmore’s Jack-Oil Lanterns and Flo’s Spider-Car to Witchy Miss Lizzie’s shop, everybody’s doing all they can to turn Radiator Springs into Radiator Screams! Guests will experience some of their favorite Cars Land attractions in new ways as Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree becomes Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters transforms into Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween.

On Buena Vista Street, a spell will be cast with new Halloween decor all along this stylish thoroughfare inspired by “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Oogie Boogie has risen from the shadows to take over Disney California Adventure park, and his oversized silhouette beckons guests through the main entrance as a swarm of bats encircle Carthay Circle Theatre.

At Disneyland® Park, the famous Pumpkin Festival will greet Guests as they make their way down Main Street, U.S.A., on their way to the eerily magical Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy attractions.

Also at Disneyland® Park, the popular Mickey’s Halloween Party returns! Tickets to the private Mickey’s Halloween Party, featuring special entertainment and trick-or-treating at locations throughout Disneyland Park, go on sale July 17 for Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club members and Disney Visa Card holders; and July 24 for the general public. Mickey’s Halloween Party takes place on Sept. 20, 22, 25, 27, 29, Oct. 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27 and 31, 2017.

New this year for Mickey’s Halloween Party Guests, Disney California Adventure Park will be featured for the first time as part of the pre-party mix-in. Early arrivals will be able to visit both theme parks for three hours prior to the party launch in Disneyland Park. Also new this year, admission to Mickey’s Halloween Party will include complimentary Disney PhotoPass.

Mickey’s Halloween Party features special entertainment, including Disney characters – Disney villains as well as Mickey Mouse and friends — and the Cadaver Dans ghostly quartet performing on the Rivers of America. An extra special treat is the “Halloween Screams” fireworks spectacular, a Mickey’s Halloween Party tradition presented exclusively for party guests. Also exclusive to Mickey’s Halloween Party is the “Frightfully Fun Parade,” led by The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow (from the Disney animated classic “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad”).

Mickey’s Halloween Party tickets are subject to availability and are valid only for specific event dates and hours. Space is limited. Advanced purchase savings available only for select party nights and only until one day prior to applicable event date. Limit eight (8) tickets per person, per event date. Tickets are nonrefundable and may not be resold. May not be combined with other discounts. Costumes subject to Disney guidelines at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/ and should not be obstructive or offensive. Ages 2 and under: no ticket required. Entertainment may be cancelled due to inclement weather or otherwise. Subject to restrictions and change without notice.

Disney PhotoPass service is subject to the PhotoPass terms found in https://disneyland.disney.go.com/photopass-terms-conditions/. Online registration required. Disney PhotoPass Photos captured during the Mickey’s Halloween Party must be linked to your Disney account and may be downloaded pursuant to the expiration policy at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/photopass-expiration-policy/. Not responsible for missing, lost or damaged photos. Downloads are restricted to personal use by Disney account holder only and may not be used for a commercial purpose. Subject to restrictions and change without notice.

Oogie Boogie and Haunted Mansion Holiday are inspired by “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – Advance ticket prices starting at $89 for adults and $84 for children (3-9).

You’ll want to get these tickets early, because certain popular dates may sell out fast. You can buy your tickets with Woodbrey Family Travel. Reservations for event-night dining and dessert parties will open later this summer.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is one of my favorite events to attend. This event is filled with all kinds of spooktacular entertainment and is one of the most anticipated special events of the year. Your family, like mine, will love the special Villainous Fireworks show, “Happy HalloWishes”, Unlimited Trick or Treating, Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade, Hocus Pocus Villain Spelitacular and of course all the different character meet and greets. Here you will find some of your favorite Disney Villains, along with Mickey Mouse and his friends, all dressed in their Halloween costumes! Costumes are not required for this event but definitely encouraged. Dressing up for this event for our family really has added to the magic and excitement of the event.

Mickey’s Trick-or-Treat Trails – Treats include apple slices, carrots, raisins, dried fruit, and of course, a variety of chocolates and other candies. Trust me when I say you will leave the party with several pounds of candy. The Trick-or-Treat trails are all over the park, and cast members hand out handfuls of treats. You can go back to the same locations for treats all you want.

Hocus Pocus Villain Spelitacular – In “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular,” the mischievous Sanderson Sisters from Disney’s “Hocus Pocus” return to the mortal world for one night during the Halloween season. With only a few hours to run amuck, the three sisters decide to use their magic to throw the best, evil Halloween party this side of the graveyard!

With the help of the Disney villains, Winifred, Mary and Sarah gather together sinister shadows, nefarious nightmares and the power of their frightful friends to conjure the ultimate Hocus Pocus Party Potion and cast a spell on everyone in the Magic Kingdom Park. “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular” features appearances by Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, Maleficent and other great Disney villains, along with dancers, projections and special effects that combine to make this new show a not-to-be-missed Halloween treat. This show runs 4 nights during the party with the first one starting at 8:35 p.m., 9:20 p.m., 10:40 p.m. and 12:00 pm.

Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade – Each Halloween party has two parades, the first one starting at 8:35 p.m. and the second one starting at 11:15 p.m. I highly recommend going to the second parade because more guests watch the first parade, making it a lot more crowded. Ralph and Venelope from Wreck-it Ralph start the parade off with a pre parade to get things exciting and fun. Soon after the pre parade the Headless Horseman takes off through the streets to get the parade started, which is awesome to see! Shortly afterwards you will see amazing floats decorated in all things Halloween, such as Characters dressed in costumes, grave diggers dragging their shovels, villains being bad, pirates playing with their loot, and many more fun and exciting things

Celebrate The Magic – Each night Cinderella’s Royal Castle comes to life as Disney Imagineers create a new way of storytelling. They use Cinderella’s beautiful castle as the canvas of telling the stories of some of your favorite Disney movies. Celebrate the Magic is a great preshow to the fireworks. It’s an exciting show the whole family will enjoy and I highly recommend watching it. The show plays nightly right before and after the fireworks spectacular at 9:45 p.m.

Happy HalloWishes – These fireworks start at 10:00 p.m. in front of Cinderella’s castle. None other than your ghost host from the Haunted Mansion hosts this “Happy HalloWishes” Fireworks Spooktacular show. Flames, fireworks and a remix of your favorite Disney villain’s theme music all come together to make this a don’t-miss firework show. These fireworks, which are different than the regular fireworks done during the week, are absolutely amazing and are my favorite to watch!

“Celebrate The Magic” & “Happy HalloWishes” Fireworks Tips – For the best view of Celebrate The Magic, stand between the Refreshment Corner on Main Street and the main hub in front of the castle (the circular area where Walt Disney’s statue is). I would not stand between the hub and the castle because the castle will partially block your view of the fireworks. The closer you get to Casey’s Corner, the better your view will be. Main Street U.S.A. is also a good spot to view the shows.

Face Painting – Disney provides free face painting during the parties. The lines to get your face painted can get long really quick. The face painting is done between Space Mountain and the Dance stage in Tomorrowland.

The Cadaver Dans – Head over to Frontierland and listen to a deadly group of cowboys singing songs in the style of the Dapper Dans.

Specialty Food – Halloween party exclusive treats are sold throughout the park. Goodies available include spiced Pumpkin Waffle Sundae at Sleepy Hallow, Specialty Cupcakes and cookies at the Main Street Bakery, Ghost Cupcakes at Gaston’s Tavern, Candy Corn Soft-serve ice Cream at Storybook Treats, and Candy Corn Cotton Candy at several of the outdoor carts. These treats really are pretty good. You have to try at least one of them if not several of them.

Exclusive Merchandise – Disney sells exclusive merchandise during the parties such as t-shirts, Disney trading pins, new Magic bands and more. The Emporium and Mickey’s Star Traders are the only two places that sell the exclusive merchandise. You can buy other Disney Halloween-themed merchandise during the day as well.

The Monstrous Scream-O-Ween Ball Dance Party – This dance party is a great way to take a load off and dance the night away with some of your favorite Monstrous characters. Select Disney Characters come out and dance with everyone; however, they usually don’t stop and take pictures and don’t sign autographs at the dance parties.

Character Meet and Greets

There are 39 possible characters that do meet and greets, and there are 11 characters at the Dance parties, which totals 50 characters that you will be able to visit in some way. Below is a list of the meet and greet characters for the party.

Costumed Characters – Keep your eyes open, because you never know whom you’ll see–but will you recognize them? Your beloved Disney Characters will be dressed up in their best costumes, and Disney Villains will be out in full force. It was fun to see them all in their different costumes. Just make sure you don’t forget your camera!

Extremely Popular Characters

Jack Skellington & Sally – Located in Main Street, U.S.A. next to City Hall; Greeting Tip: The line to meet them starts forming about 5:30 p.m. If you wait until the party starts you could spend up to 2 ½ hours waiting to see them, which will take up half of the party.

Seven Dwarfs – Located in Fantasyland next to the great walls in Fantasyland beyond the Carousel; Greeting Tip: The line to meet the Seven Dwarf’s starts about 6:15 p.m. The line can extend up to 2 hours. If you want to see both Jack & Sally and the Seven Dwarfs, wait to do the meet and greet for the dwarfs later in the evening; however, don’t wait too long, because they will cut off the line early.

Captain Jack Sparrow – Located in Adventureland across the pathway from Pirates of Caribbean attraction; Greeting Tip: The line to meet Jack starts about 6:15 p.m. The line will extend up to about 2 hours. Great time to meet Jack is during the parade. I would skip the first parade and meet Jack and go to the second parade, which usually has the smaller crowds.

Princess Anna & Queen Elsa – Located in Fantasyland at Princess Fairytale Hall; They do meet and greets here all day. If you want to meet them I would do it during the day before the party starts. Their line will be at least 2 hours long.

Moderately Popular Characters

Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet & Eeyore – Located next to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction; They typically don’t start meeting guests until about a half hour after the party starts. These characters are dressed up in their Halloween costumes. Only Winnie the Pooh and Tigger do meet and greets during the day, and they are not dressed up at that time.

Tarzan, Jane & Terk – Located in Adventureland just past the bridge on the right side on the Verandah; Tarzan & Jane are not out with each other the whole time. For every hour there is about 15 minutes they are not together. Terk is out for the entire time.

Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu & the Genie – Located in Adventureland in the building across the path from the Swiss Family Tree house; Aladdin & Abu come out together, and Jasmine and the Genie come out together. They switch off with each other. They do have about 5 minutes where you will get all four at once, but it is hard to time it just right.

Mad Hatter, Alice, the White Rabbit & the Queen of Hearts – Located in Fantasyland near the Tea cups; The Wonderland characters switch with each other throughout the party. Alice & the White Rabbit do meet and greets earlier in the day.

The Witch or Hag – Located in Fantasyland near the bridge by the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Jafar – Located in Adventureland across from the Flying Carpets

Lotso-Huggin Bear & Buzzlight Year – Located in Tomorrowland between the Carousel of progress and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin; Buzz meets during the day, but Lotso only comes out for the party

Easier To Meet Characters

Mickey Mouse – Located in Main Street, U.S.A in the Town Square Theatre; Mickey meets here regularly, but during the Halloween Party he dresses in his Halloween costume

Minnie Mouse – Located in Fantasyland near the entrance of the circus; Minnie Mouse is dressed in her Halloween costume for the party

Goofy – Located in Fantasyland near the entrance of the circus; Goofy is dressed in his Halloween costume for the party

Gaston – Located in Fantasyland near Gaston’s Tavern; Meets guests during the regular day here

Cinderella & Rapunzel – Located in Fantasyland at Princess Fairytale Hall; Meets guests during the regular day here

Snow White & Aurora – Located in Fantasyland next to the great walls in Fantasyland beyond the Carousel; Meets guests during the regular day in Town Square

Princess Tiana- Located in Liberty Square behind the Christmas Shop; Meets guests during the regular day here

Donald & Daisy – Located in Fantasyland near the entrance of the circus; Both are dressed in their Halloween costume for the party

Tinker Bell – Located in Main Street, U.S.A in the Town Square Theatre; Meets guests during the regular day here

Ariel – Located in Fantasyland next to Ariel’s Grotto; Meets guests during the regular day

Merida – Located in Fantasyland at the Fairytale Garden; Meets guests during the regular day

Additional Meet and Greet Tips – I would meet the characters that are out during the day before the party starts and get the rare characters during the party. There really isn’t enough time during the party to see all the characters. Your tickets get you into the park starting at 4:00 p.m., which gives you an extra 3 hours in the parks. Remember to get into line early for those really popular characters so you don’t waste your whole party waiting for only a couple of characters.

There you have it one of the best events Walt Disney World puts on each year. This event is worth the extra cost and I highly recommend going. If you want more information on the event or want to plan a trip to Walt Disney World, please contact me.